What is the recreational drug ‘pink cocaine’? WSOC TV [Video]

A recreational drug called “pink cocaine” is getting attention and causing confusion since it doesn’t typically contain cocaine.

The pink powder — really a grab bag of different drugs dyed pink — has turned up in drug seizures, prompting warnings from law enforcement.

Pink cocaine is also known as “tusi,” but both nicknames for the powder are more about marketing than reality. Experts say it rarely contains cocaine and is more likely to contain ketamine, a drug with very different effects.

Why is it pink?

Pink cocaine is pink thanks to food coloring or dye, said Joseph Palamar, who studies drug trends at NYU Langone Health in New York.

“Sometimes it has cocaine in the mix, but it’s typically more of a ketamine concoction,” Palamar said. Studies have found batches containing methamphetamine, MDMA, bath salts, caffeine and opioids.

“It’s a concoction that anyone can make if they have a couple of drugs and a pink dye,” Palamar said.

The word “tusi” …